Tuesday, November 11, 2008

People have strong opinions as to what proper dress is for worship. The NY Times even spent some newspaper real estate on it. There are two extreme views. First, God deserves the best, like our president - so would you untuck your shirt if you had a meeting with Him/him? Second, God wants you as the authentic you - so don't pretend to be someone you aren't in front of the president.

I believe it comes down to your heart (your motives). You see, BOTH extremes could be right or wrong depending on the motivation. If dressing up is done to show off or is an attempt to be someone you are not - then I believe the motivation isn't right in God's eyes. If dressing down is done to be cool, please your friends, or rebel against Mr. and Mrs. Tuck - then I believe the motivation isn't right in God's eyes either.When our motivation is focused on pointing people to God (from the inside out, heart first) - then everything else should follow suit (no pun intended). You see, dressing to point people to God instead of distracting people from Him is our goal. And that goes for both ON stage and OFF stage - if worship is a lifestyle. That's why modesty is always key. When my eyes are drawn away from God to the short skirted worshiper, it's time to raid the Christmas pagent costume closet for something longer. What I wear OFF stage should always be acceptable ON stage and visa versa.

So let's answer the question straight away...why do I leave my shirt untucked when I worship?

Here are my reasons...

1. Belts can scratch the back of a guitar. And untucked shirt sheild the guitar from the belt. I'm not into felt belts.

2. I can run my in-ear monitor down the back of my shirt and hide the cord and keep it plugged in my pocket (easy access).

3. Tucking in my shirt is how I dress off stage. I can't remember the last time I tucked in a shirt. In fact, I've tried several times to tuck my shirt in and my wife tells me it doesn't looks funny on me. Listen, I want to be the same both on and off stage (true authenticism). I'm not gonna start wearing KISS makeup and leather on stage because someone else wished I did.